Methods and devices for printing containers are known in principle, in particular including methods and devices for the direct printing of containers. Such methods and devices are used in particular in container treatment machines in the drinks and packaging industry.
Preferably, such devices for the preferably direct printing of containers comprise print heads which are arranged for example on a first machine part, the containers to be printed being provided on a second, movable machine part. The containers are in this case preferably mounted on the movable second machine part in such a way as to be able to rotate about their container axis, namely by means of a respective rotary plate element which is provided for receiving the bottom region of the container.
For the direct printing of containers, in particular including those which are used as packaging means in the food and/or drinks industry, an exact approach to a predefined printing position is necessary in order to be able to apply the printed image to the precisely defined printing position. However, in order to be able to control the container via the rotary plate element in the predefined printing position, the rotary position of the rotary plate element must first be precisely determined.